Six visual artists look for fresh inspiration in the treasures of the SE Pelopponesian tradition -- doric dialect, textile art, architecture, dance -- and the unique flora and fauna of the Parnon mountain.The artists participate in the first Artist In Residence Program of the Municipality of Leonidio, an art project aiming at the promotion of the cultural and ecological heritage of the region. The artists will work, hold Open Door Days, exhibit their work and give lectures on contemporary art at the Tsikaliotis Tower, an overwhelming 1808 defensive residence, in Leonidio.

Monday, 12 July 2010

Pop-up shop in Carnaby Street. Discover beautiful jewellery made with the micro technique of weaving with horsehair produced by Chilean designer-makers.

Monoco, Green disc ringRosalía Jorquera, green butterfly

CECILIA BRAVO, TERESA DIAZ, PAULA VELASCO Founders of ChileMakers

ChileMakers is an organization that seeks to promote and commercialize contemporary and traditional Chilean crafts in markets that value fair trade, originality and sophistication in each design. ChileMakers was born in 2009 aiming to nurture and promote knowledge and commercial exchange between Chilean designer-makers and Europe, with a special focus in the UK.

ChileMakers are running some workshops in conjunction with the exhibition: Try your hand in our workshops and learn the basis of weaving with horsehair. Saturday 24 & 31 July, 11:00am-1:00pm, £10, all materials included. Book your place at info@chilemakers.com (limited availability).

LATE TALK: Enjoy a fascinating conversation along with basketmaker Mary Butcher (artist in residence at V&A) about the origins of weaving with horsehair and how it relates to basketery. Thursday 22 July, 7-9pm. Book your place at info@chilemakers.com (limited availability).

"The half-timbered house, built in the early 16th century when Smallhythe was a thriving shipbuilding yard, was the home of the Victorian actress Ellen Terry from 1899 to 1928, and contains her fascinating theatre collection. The cottage grounds include her rose garden, orchard, nuttery and the working Barn Theatre".

A beautiful house and garden. Inside you can view Ellen Terry's costumes, jewellery, personal objects, paintings and theatre designs. There are also some William Nicholson prints. For me it was great to see the jewellery objects, many worn on the stage with a larger than life presence. Also some Indian jewellery objects with metal and textiles. The location is beautiful and you can see why Terry decided she would live there as soon as she spied it.

"A few weeks ago I read the obituary of a Red Cross nurse who died long before I was born.She was murdered by a sniper during the communist uprising of December 1944 in Athens.The obituary praised her dedication, generosity, sacrifice.It was a solace to read that in times of inhumanity such qualities still persisted.

Following the street riots of December 2008 and the lynch justice of May 2009, horrible stories about the 'December Days of '44', stories told by our grandparents that were hard to believe, were reawaken as a deja vu in the Athenians' collective consciousness.

The series 'Murdered Civilians, Athens 1944' (2010) question the immortality of love versus ideologically motivated hate.Dolls were originally funereal objects, but also objects invested with love by those who carry them.Dolls are toys but also an effective means of socialization.

Depictions of the dead range from Cycladic figurines to the fin du siecle stylisized photographs; they testify that the phenomenon of death never stopped fascinating us"